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The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is accepting applications for its Wildfire Prevention (WP) Grants Program. California’s 2025-26 budget allocates up to $135 million to CAL FIRE’s WP Grants Program in Fiscal Year 2025-2026 from the California Climate Investments (CCI) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (Proposition 4). The maximum allowable funding amount is $950,000. Grant applications are due August 6, 2025.

What is the purpose of this program?

CAL FIRE’s WP Grants Program provides funding for wildfire prevention projects and activities in and near wildfire-threatened communities that focus on increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities. Funded activities include Hazardous Fuels Reduction, Wildfire Prevention Planning, and Wildfire Prevention Education with an emphasis on improving public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Projects are evaluated based on the overall benefit to reduce the threat of wildfires to people, structures, and communities. CAL FIRE will consider the wildfire hazards and risks to an area, the geographic balance of projects, and whether the project is complementary to other wildfire prevention or forest health activities when awarding grants. Projects benefiting disadvantaged communities or low-income communities, projects that demonstrate a carbon benefit by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and projects that contain matching funds will receive additional priority.

Who is eligible to apply?

Funding for this solicitation derives from two funding pools with separate eligibility and conditions. In general, the following entities are eligible for both CCI and Proposition 4 funding:

• State Agencies
• Native American Tribes
• Joint Powers Authorities (JPAs) if the entities involved are eligible applicants.
• Special districts, including Fire protection districts; Community services districts; Water districts; and Resource conservation districts
• Local agencies, including: city and county
• Fire Safe Councils with a 501(c)(3) designation.
• Other qualified non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation

Additionally, Federal Agencies and Certified Local Conservation Corps are eligible entities for CCI funding.

Applicants may not be one of the following:

• A privately held for-profit company or corporation.
• Individual or private landowners.
• Homeowners’ associations or other associations unless they have 501(c)(3) non-profit status.

What types of projects will the WP Grants Program fund?

The WP Grants Program funds three types of activities: Hazardous Fuels Reduction, Wildfire Prevention Planning, and Wildfire Prevention Education. Below are some examples of qualifying projects and activities for each:

HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION

• Vegetation clearance in critical locations to reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread;
• Creation or maintenance of fuel breaks in strategic locations, as identified in CAL FIRE Unit Fire Plans, a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or similar strategic planning document;
• Maintenance of existing fuels reduction projects paid for by CAL FIRE or any other funding sources (i.e., other state funds, federal funds, or private funds);
• Removal of ladder fuels to reduce the risk of crown fires;
• Creation of community-level wildfire prevention programs, such as community chipping days, roadside chipping, and green waste bin programs;
• Selective tree removal (thinning) to improve forest health to withstand wildfire;
• Modification of vegetation adjacent to roads to improve public safety for egress of evacuating residents and ingress of responding emergency personnel;  
• Reduction of fuel loading around critical infrastructure to maintain continuity of government and other critical services;
• Projects to improve compliance with defensible space requirements as required by Public Resources Code Section 4291 (Projects eligible for CCI funds are low-income, disabled, or elderly households per CA requirements);
• Seasonal and temporary prescribed grazing using temporary infrastructure consistent with increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities.

WILDFIRE PREVENTION PLANNING

• Wildfire risk or related mapping;
• Creation or update of strategic wildfire planning documents, such as Evacuation plans; Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP); Local Hazard Mitigation Plans; Safety Elements; and Wildfire Prevention or Mitigation Plans.

WILDFIRE PREVENTION EDUCATION

• Development and implementation of public education and outreach programs;
• Workshops, meetings, materials creation, and other educational activities with the purpose of increasing knowledge and awareness of information that could be used to reduce the total number of wildfires, acres burned, and structures lost;
• To educate the public on making homes and communities more wildfire resilient, including defensible space training.

What are the funding amounts and limitations?

The recommended funding amount is $950,000 or less. Purchases of capital equipment cannot exceed $750,000. While matching funds are not required, projects that contain matching funds will receive additional priority.

When are applications due?

WP Grants Program applications are due August 6, 2025 by 3 p.m. PT.

The Procedural Guide can be found here.

For more information on this grant or how to apply with Morrison’s assistance, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.